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The revenge tour came to a screeching halt in Columbus, while the Ohio State hype train left the station
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There’s this theory about momentum in college football — that it exists. The premise that a team with more momentum should win is great in theory, but not logical in reality. There’s another theory that seems to hold a little stronger.
Any given Saturday.
That’s usually what one says when an upset unfolds. Technically, an upset did unfold on Saturday in Columbus, though it didn’t feel like it. Urban Meyer’s team, which had about as little momentum as any 10-1 team in recent memory following a nail-biter win at Maryland, was a home underdog for the first time since his days at Utah. Why? Michigan had all the momentum.
“The Revenge Tour” rallying cry fueled Michigan to 10 straight wins. The longest streak of the Jim Harbaugh era was expected to continue on Saturday in Columbus.
Instead, the other streak — Michigan’s skid against Ohio State dating back to when Meyer arrived in Columbus — gained even more momentum.
Yet another bid to win a B1G East title came up short for the Wolverines while yet another late-season statement victory boosted the Buckeyes.
Even the biggest Ohio State apologist and most skeptical Michigan fan couldn’t have seen Saturday’s lopsided result coming. The Wolverines’ No. 1 defense coughed up twice as many points as they had in any game all year.
I mean, Michigan hadn’t allowed that many points in a non-overtime game in program HISTORY.
The wait for Meyer’s squad to assert its dominance coincided with the revenge tour gaining more steam than a cross-country locomotive. On Saturday, though, paths changed. As a result, so did the entire 2018 narrative for both programs.
What happened on Saturday doesn’t mean that the rest of 2018 is washed away. There was a reason that 2 teams with the same record came into the regular-season finale ranked 6 spots apart instead of side-by-side. Michigan was the better team in 2018, and that’s not smoke and mirrors.
As for who was the better team on Saturday, there was zero doubt about that.
While it didn’t help that the likes of Devin Bush, Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich were all banged up in this one — that surely impacted why the Buckeyes couldn’t be stopped late — it was still a convincing statement for Ohio State. All the narratives about Meyer’s health and him fading off after finally losing to Harbaugh were gone by game’s end (though man, did Gus Johnson beat a dead horse with that one).
Suddenly, a Buckeye team that was ranked behind UCF got major style points because of how respected Michigan was by the selection committee. Any time you win by that many points in that big of a spot, the selection committee is going to take notice.
Ohio State finally looked like it had a defense capable of not getting gashed all afternoon. A group that was demolished by Maryland last week was the B1G leader in plays allowed of 30-plus yards (35) and 40-plus yards (21).
Michigan didn’t have a single play of either variety on Saturday.
Now, the future of Harbaugh’s offense has never been more uncertain. Shea Patterson was supposed to be the guy, and this was supposed to be the year. And to be clear, it wasn’t all on Patterson. Zach Gentry struggled mightily with drops, and Michigan’s offensive line didn’t impose its will like it did throughout 2018.
But really, the defense was the biggest stunner. Allowing a 60-burger to the Buckeyes after allowing 24 or less in every game this year was baffling. Michigan will have an entire offseason to think about that, and with its likely 3 best defensive players gone.
As for Ohio State, the future suddenly looks a whole lot brighter than it did 24 hours ago. The grim, brutal end was avoided. Now, the Buckeyes are a neutral-site win against Northwestern away from at least having a chance to make the Playoff.
No, I don’t think Ohio State controls its own fate. It won’t be a “win and in” scenario, but surely blowing out Michigan and a ranked Northwestern team would give the selection committee quite the closing argument. Tuesday’s Playoff ranking will provide plenty of insight as to just how much the Buckeyes’ blowout meant for their postseason aspirations.
Keep in mind that we’ve still yet to see a team ranked worse than No. 9 after the third Playoff ranking make the field, and we’ve never seen a Playoff team lose by more than 23 points in the regular season.
Ohio State is still up against it, though the same was true on Saturday.
That was the ultimate backs-against-the-wall performance. That’s a credit to an Ohio State team that finally rose to the level many felt it was capable of playing at. Did it take longer than many expected? Absolutely. But all of the sudden, the 2014 narrative will start resurfacing. And just like in 2014, the Buckeyes have a high-powered offense that’s capable of lighting up the scoreboard against anyone.
Especially the No. 1 defense, apparently.
Barring some wild scenario in which Michigan faces South Carolina in a bowl game again, the Wolverines’ revenge tour is over. It was an impressive run, regardless of how quickly it came to an end.
Now, though, maybe it’s Ohio State’s turn to get some revenge. Momentum won’t carry Ohio State to its first national championship since that 2014 season. Reverting back to its down-to-the-wire ways next week in the B1G Championship against Northwestern might not do the trick, either.
But if the Buckeyes did find their missing ingredient on Saturday, look out.
The hype train is off and running.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.